A Beacon of Hope

Newstead’s a funny old place. It’s past the Valley, not quite in Bowen Hills and just beside the newly minted suburb of Teneriffe. Geographically, culturally and gastronomically, it’s a bit of a wasteland. It’s striving for edgy, urban renewal chic but hasn’t quite made it yet. That’s why government departments have plonked their staff there – the rent’s cheap in this semi industrial no man’s land. Pity about the poor worker who might want to buy luxuries such as lunch or a newspaper. Thank heavens then for Shucked Coffee House.

Tucked one street off Breakfast Creek Rd, Shucked has a lot going for it. Understated shopfront, minimalist fitout of retro furniture and mismatched wallpaper, streamlined menu and GREAT SERVICE! I arrived mid Wednesday morning and the place was buzzing. After ordering at the counter, I grabbed a seat on one of the couches and took in the surrounds. Between the kitsch sugar bowls and newspapers to browse, there’s plenty to look at whilst you wait.

There’s a simple menu with some good all day breakfast and brunch staples such as Avocado on Turkish w Buffalo Fetta and Boston Baked Beans w Chorizo as well as specials such as, on the day I went, Ricepaper Rolls. But, it was the Banana & Walnut Bread w Espresso Ricotta & Maple Syrup that I came for. When it arrived, it was clear that I should have been sharing my serve with someone else but as there was no one, I ate it all. The bread (well, cake really) was fresh and the little dish of ricotta with espresso drizzled over was smooth and creamy. A bottle of water and glass were delivered along with my meal and my coffee order chased up. There are single origin and special technique coffees but I enjoyed the house blend. This smooth, medium bodied coffee tasted great but was too luke warm for my liking. I ordered a second just to be sure and this too, was not hot enough. I don’t like my coffee scalding hot but I do like more heat than this so next time I’ll be asking them to make it a little hotter.

I had a chat with the wait staff, who were all friendly and affable and also had time to talk with Naomi, who runs Shucked. Shucked opened post the 2011 floods (the building had gone under) and was borne out the desire to tap into the 1700 Energex staff who work in the nearby building. They come in droves and I can see why. I’m really looking forward to trying other items on the menu and getting to know this neat little hangout in the back streets of nowhere.

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I went here for brunch on the weekend, and im sure they had their B team of baristas on, the latte L ordered was overextracted and bitter… was expecting better! food was good but very slow to come out.